@Tony Press don't be too harsh on the Americans. It's not just them who are dragging their heels over metrification. It took the UK 124 years to go decimal from the discussion in parliament that lead to the introduction of the "florin" to decimalisation day in 1971. We still haven't completely gone metric and that's been going on since the late sixties to my knowledge..... No one should have been taught miles / yards / feet / inches, pints / quarts/ gallons, ounces / pounds and any of the rest of poles, perches, chains, roods, acres that used to grace the back of exercise books but many still persist over here. We'll get there eventually cos' we must be at the point that 50% of the population were taught in metric. We've currently got a very messy system. All of the road signs are in miles but the national mapping system has been in km for 40 years or more, the grid that it's based on is much older than that. Regards John
So, what happens when the US 'goes metric'? (Which will never happen; any real interest in the subject petered out decades ago.) Will the lion lie down with the lamb? Will the Earthly millennium be ushered in? Someone maybe can explain how it would matter. Perhaps a Canadian: it's a really big country: have kilometers helped? (Even the Brits won't give miles up....) When I drive into Canada, it feels like I've hit molasses....everything slows down. Kilometers aren't big enough for North America! We were recently on a tour in Spain. There were a lot of Aussies along (traveling with Aussies is a lot of fun-- there was never a more "traveling" people). We got on the subject. None of them cared much for kilometers, or really knew why they had them. I think the whole thing is a matter of "misery loves company"-- we have to deal with this system, you should have to, too....;-)
Geeves, I always knew British Imperial gallons were bigger than our US gallons but didn't knew the difference was that much. Thanks for that knowledge. Does that mean you get 20 oz pints at your local pub? Considering that a "pint " is no longer a legal measurement it has become a generic term for any beer glass with a handle. Typically its anywhere from 450 to 600ml Often the same price Of course we also have bottled beer in pints and quarts being 350 and 750ml
All I know is there's three different systems in aviation - Metric, UK Imperial and U.S. It's a pain. Oh yes, and speed is measured in Knots (I think one nautical mile per hour).
@geeves In Australia there were always national issues with beer. Where I grew up 20 imperial ounces was a pint; 15 imperial ounces was a schooner; 10 was a middie; 7 was a seven; and 5 was a pony... In other parts of Australia they had the sacrilige to call a 15 ounce a pint, and the other sizes had different names. But with the advent of microbreweries the proper naming of the pint as a 20 oz. glass is becoming more widespread, and some breweries now bottle in pint bottles (but marked in ml). The 375ml bottle is commonly known as a stubby, and the 750ml as a longneck... Tony
All this new fangled stuff - lets get back to cubits. Tony, I think you've been too long in Tassie. The previous poster is Geeves, not Geeveston (a small town in Tasmania). Norm.
You Brits, Aussies and Americans might as well just start writing in Latin. Metric FTW! Regards, Vidar
@geeves & @Normo Bloody Autocorrect!!!! It's just not my day, is it! @logen I did study Latin for 4 years... Cheers Tony
Thankfully we have not gone metric for common everyday stuff. Imagine some of the great song lyrics or sayings that use "miles", then substitute kilometers. ... walked 8.04672 km in his shoes. I can see for kilometers and kilometers. Thirteen kilometers high.
I always wondered why there were 3 Xs on a jug of moonshine in images I saw. I now understand that the XXX stands for the 3 times it has been run through the still process. Each time removing more water. All the water is not removed, that is too difficult to accomplish. XXX, I think, is 96 or 98 percent alcohol. Ken in NC
Many whiskeys are triple distilled and the alcohol content is between 45 and 55%. There would be a lot of problems with the US going metric. We'd all have to buy new rulers,scales and measuring tapes. We'd also have to rename the inchworm the 25.4 millimeter worm.
Alcohol and stoves, and alcohol stoves. Who knew anyone cared (obsessed) this much. Ethyl alcohol and water form an azeotrope with roughly 95-96% ethanol (190 proof, US). It has a bp lower than pure ethanol and water. Here is the expensive stuff. Sorry 'bout the computer cam.
Sometime during the first half of the '80s I was lucky to obtain a 2 or 2.5liter (don't remember exactly) bottle of lab quality 99.5% (or thereabouts) pure ethanol. It was put to good use in the production of egg liqueur........... All long gone! There also was a 20liter plastic drum of pure methanol. Still have some of that left, perfect for pre-heating or using it in alci stoves8). Best regards, Wim
That's the bottled strength. Whisky is considerably stronger when in the barrel to mature. 60% comes to mind because you can find "cask strength" Malt Whiskies. Glenfarclas and Highland Park were / are available at 105º (UK). Cheers John
Well, when Italy got unified (between 1860 and 1870) Tuscany (before unification it was Granducato di toscana) adopted metric units, and in front of many municipal houses they put the conversion table. Here a picture ov one of the few that survived till today, Municipal house of Vicopisano, Pisa province, Tucany, Italy.
@Dr_Rob Welcome to CCS. You will have noticed by now that we are a very friendly bunch even if we do wander off track sometimes. Apologies for my part in that. Some time ago, well about 58 posts anyway, you were asking about using a mixture of ethanol and isopropanol. I think, in all the distractions that have gone on, the advice was "go for it". Please let us know how you get on. Regards John
